What Happened
by Luana Starlight
Summary: A girl wakes up to find herself in a world so different than her own. Now, she needs to find a way home that involves a trip in a world that seems so much easier to survive in than her own. -Complete-
1. What Happened

AN: This is a work in progress. I own all those you will not recognize. My sister's wish I did own Legolas, but unfortunately, there is no way I would be able to keep the handsome elvish prince.

The first thing I felt was pain. My head felt like someone had dropped a battleship on it. I say up, covering my eyes from the sunlight. Sunlight? There hadn't been any sunlight in my city for almost seventeen years, not since the war had ended. I remember seeing my last sunrise the day before my birthday, the day the war ended. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in a forest. Impossible! There were no trees near my home. This was getting stranger by the minute. Where was I and why did I come here?


	2. City In Sight

AN: Here is the second chapter. No names yet, but if you're smart, you'll guess who the newest person is.

"We're almost there," a man said to his horse, patting him on the neck. "There's the valley."  
The man spurred his horse forward. Both had traveled long and hard, searching for this valley. The man allowed the horse to set the pace, after going at his for so long. Everything around him was so peaceful and quiet. That is, until a figure stepped out of the bushes and in front of his horse.  
The horse reared, throwing the man. The man sat up, just in time to watch his horse run down the path, towards the city. He looked over and saw a girl, huddling beside the road. He stood up and walked towards her. She heard him moving and looked up.  
"Are you okay?" the man asked.  
The girl didn't answer but she did stand up. Well, tried to. The minute she straightened up, she started to fall backwards. The man caught her before she fell.  
"Slow down. Are you okay?"  
"I don't know. My head hurts and I feel dizzy," she said.  
"Where are you from? How'd you get here?"  
"Where is here?" she asked, looking up at him.  
"You don't know where you are?"  
All the girl did was shake her head. This quickly made her make a face; it hurt to do anything like that. The man put her arm around his shoulders and put his arm around her waist.  
"Let's get you down to the city."  
Together, they started down towards the city nestled in the valley.


	3. Enter the City of Elves

AN: And so enters some more of our beloved characters. Once again, no name is known for her or where she is from. Curiouser and curiouser.

"Legolas!"  
"How nice to see you!"  
Those two voices rang out across the courtyard and the owner of the name sighed. He had been hoping to get in without seeing the twins, or them seeing him. He just didn't have that kind of luck. He watched his father's advisors move away quickly, taking all the horses. Legolas turned, ready to face the twins. They came up on either side of him, both grinning.  
"Can I do anything for you two?"  
"Maybe..."  
"What do you think, dear Legolas?"  
"Whatever you want me to do, forget it."  
"What?" both said at once.  
"Whatever you are planning, I won't help."  
Just as the twins opened their mouths, a man stumbled through the arch. In his arms was a young woman.  
"Somebody help," he said. "I'm going to drop her."  
Legolas moved forward and grabbed the girl, allowing the man to drop to the ground. The twins moved forward and helped the man to sit up straight. One of them signaled for a servant.  
"What happened to her?" Legolas asked.  
"She stumbled out in front of my horse and scared him off. When I tried to talk to her, she seemed like she was dizzy. She doesn't seem to know where she is," the man said.  
"Elladan, go get your father. He can help her."  
Said twin immediately stood and raced into the house. Legolas, meanwhile, started to take off the girl's coat. It was long and it looked like it would touch the ground. When he managed to get it opened, they all saw that what she was wearing was not normal, for anyone. Her whole outfit was black. Black leather to be precise. She had on a tight-fitting top with tight black pants. Her boots reached to mid-thigh and seemed to be well worn.  
"Where did she get this outfit?" the other twin asked.  
"I don't know."  
At that point, Lord Elrond came out of the house. He went over to the girl's side and immediately looked her over. His face went grim; it obviously didn't look good.  
"Get her inside. Now," he ordered.  
Legolas picked her up and followed Elrond inside. The twins stayed outside to help the man up. Legolas followed Elrond to the healing wing. Once there, he set her down on one of the beds and was shooed out of the room.  
  
I feel so dizzy. My head hurts and yet it feels so light. Someone is here with me. His touch is gentle and firm. I hope whoever it is can get rid of this headache. Maybe then I can figure out what's happened to me.


	4. Call Me 'Kec', For Short

Dinner came and went. Elrond had left the girl in the hands of the healers and had gone to join his guests for dinner. In two days time, they would have a council meeting and he needed to be rested. The conversation that night rested mainly on the mysterious girl. Boromir, the man who had brought her in, was trying to answer what he could. Most of his answers were along the lines of 'I don't know.'  
After dinner, and when most of the guests had gone to bed, Elrond went back to the healing wing. She was sitting up and was sipping from a bowl of soup that had been sent up. Elrond went over and sat down beside the bed.  
"How are you doing?" he asked.  
"I am fine. Thank you, for helping me," she said.  
"You had no serious wounds, though it looked a lot worse."  
She said nothing as she drained the rest of her soup. In the firelight, her skin looked translucent. Her hair was light gold, verging on silver. She was thin, almost starved looking.  
"Do you know how you came here?" Elrond asked after a few minutes of silence.  
"I don't know. I went to sleep and then I woke up in the forest. The only thing was, my head hurt."  
"Your head hurt? How?"  
"Like somebody dropped something on it or like I got dropped on it."  
"Do you know where you are?"  
"I wasn't told. The man who found me never told me."  
"Would you like to know?"  
"Please."  
Elrond looked her straight in the eyes, "You are in Rivendell, one of the final elvish refuges left in Middle Earth."  
"Middle Earth?" the girl asked.  
"Yes. Does that sound familiar?"  
The girl didn't answer as she leaned back into the pillows. She wore a shocked expression, like she wasn't expecting the answer. Elrond watched her for a few minutes as the new information sank in.  
"Where are you from? Somewhere close?" he asked, breaking the silence.  
The girl looked up, "No. My home is on the planet Earth, not Middle Earth."  
"I have never heard of Earth. What is it like?"  
The girl sighed, "It used to be a bright and sunny place. Now it is nothing but dark clouds and war-ravaged land. There is no beauty left anywhere on the planet."  
"What happened?"  
"I remember too well what happened. There had been a worldwide war going on. Weapons that were forbidden to be used were being used, bringing death to many a city. We finally got word that the war was going to be over, and it would be in time for my birthday. The day before my birthday, a bomb went off and the sky clouded over. We haven't seen the sun since."  
"And why are you here? Would it have anything to do with this war?" Elrond asked.  
"No. The war has been over for almost seventeen years. I think it might have something to do with my occupation."  
Elrond didn't ask before he stood up, "I will let you get your rest. Maybe in the morning, things will be clearer for you."  
"Thank you," she trailed off.  
"Elrond."  
"Thank you, Lord Elrond."  
"Before I leave, what is your name?"  
"Kendra Elvira Connor. Call me Kec for short."  
"Good-night, Kec."  
  



	5. Breakfast and Introductions

The next morning dawned bright and clear, making every guest and inhabitant of Imladris, or Rivendell, feel like there was no evil in the world. Well, almost every guest. Kendra had awoken, headache gone but worry gnawing at her gut. How was her family? What would they do when she didn't come home? Was she dead?  
This last though made Kendra pinch herself. The pain convinced her that she wasn't dead. She threw the covers off and put her legs over the side of the bed. Her boots had been removed and placed near the nightstand. She leaned over to pull them on when she noticed that her other wounds had been treated. She had had numerous cuts and bruises all down her arms and most of the bruises, which were fairly new, were almost gone.  
'That's weird,' she thought.  
She leaned over to the nightstand and picked up the mirror that was there. The bruises that were on her chest were all gone and even the older bruises on her shoulders were gone. There was no pain, no nothing.  
"We put a cream on your bruises while you were unconscious. The bruises looked nasty," Elrond said from the doorway.  
Kendra put down the mirror, "You didn't have to do that."  
"Why did you have those bruises? Did your husband do that to you?"  
"I don't have a husband. And my father didn't do it either. No one in my family would ever beat us to leave bruises," Kendra sighed. "I got those bruises from my job."  
"What job involves you getting bruised up like you were?"  
"We don't really have a formal name. We are referred to as the 'Hunters.'"  
"Hunters?"  
"It is our job to make sure that certain creatures that were created during the war don't destroy what is left of humanity. Many a creature would prefer to drain the blood from our body and then pick the meat off our bones. I have seen it done, and it isn't pretty."  
"Why did you take a job like that?"  
"It was either that job, or I would be a soldier. I have health problems that keep me from doing the training needed to be a soldier but that wouldn't discourage them. As a hunter, I can set my own pace. After several weeks of training on my own, I was physically fit."  
Elrond didn't say anything. All this information about her was unimaginable. A woman as a soldier? Most men would never allow a woman in a battle. Looking at her, he could see what she was saying. Her bare arms were well toned and her thinness was the result of physical labors, nothing else.  
"You probably don't believe me," she said after a few minutes of silence.  
"No, I do believe you. I have never seen anyone who dresses like you so that helps back up your story. I also do not see any signs of madness."  
"There are those who would disagree with you on the madness part. Many would say that I am quite mad."  
Elrond laughed gently, watching her. She barely showed any emotions on her face, but he could tell she was suppressing her energy. He watched her as she put on her boots and then stood up. She reached up and pulled her hair back from her face, giving her a hard look.  
"Would you care to join us in the hall for breakfast?" he asked.  
"I wouldn't mind," she said reaching over to grab her coat.  
Together, the two made their way down to the dining hall. Once there, he escorted her to the head table. She sat down in between Boromir of Gondor and Gimli, son of Gloin. Breakfast was quiet and soon, everyone left the table. Kendra was one of the few people left, besides an old man dressed in a gray robe. She watched as the man pulled out a pipe from his robe. He lit it and she watched him smoke for a couple of minutes.  
"Is that all you are going to do?" he asked suddenly.  
Kendra, startled, looked into his eyes. She thought she was going to see anger but all she saw was laughter. He put the pipe down onto the table and watched her.  
"You are the girl that Boromir brought into the city. It is good to see that you are doing well."  
"Thank you. And you are?" she asked, trailing off.  
"I am called Gandalf. Since we are making introductions..."  
"Kendra Elvira Connor. Call me Kec."  
"Kec? An unusual name?"  
"I am an unusual person. But I guess it all depends on a person's point of view."  
Gandalf laughed a hearty laugh, which drew the attention of several people.  
"There you are Gandalf. We were looking for you. The council is about to begin," a man said, striding forward.  
"Thank you, Aragorn. Kec, will you be joining us?"  
"What is this council about?" Kendra asked, standing up.  
"The future of Middle Earth."  



	6. The Council Meeting and A Past Revealed

"Welcome visitors of foreign lands, friends of old," Elrond started.  
Kendra was sitting beside the man, Aragorn, and an elf. She didn't feel like she was supposed to be here but Gandalf had insisted that she come. She had put her coat on, trying to hide what bruises were left. And so she sat, bundled in her coat, listening in fascination as the history of the Ring was told. She watched as a Hobbit, Frodo Baggins, stepped forth to put the Ring on the pedestal. She also listened and learned of the true identity of Aragorn.  
"I will never see the Ring in the hands of an elf," Gimli shouted, looking directly at Legolas, prince of Mirkwood. "Never trust an elf."  
The council degenerated at that point. Elf yelling at dwarf and human, Gandalf arguing with Boromir, and Elrond sitting in his chair, looking like he was nursing a migraine. Kendra stood up and proceeded to space Gimli a little further from Legolas, who looked ready to strangle the dwarf.  
"ENOUGH!"  
Every man, elf, dwarf, and hobbit turned and stared. Kendra stood in the middle of the courtyard, face red from anger.  
"Is this how you intend to settle this war? Sauron, whoever that is, doesn't have to worry about destroying you. You are destroying yourselves for him."  
"What would a woman know about war?" Boromir asked.  
Kendra turned to face him, "Plenty."  
She tore off her coat and tossed it to her chair. The next thing they knew, her shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a tighter fitting shirt underneath, leaving more than half her upper body bare. They stared in horror at the scars that crisscrossed her skin, most across her back. Legolas noticed, also, that in several places on her back were tattoos.  
"This is just from my world, where the war was supposed to have ended seventeen years ago. Because of treachery, creatures now roam our lands, killing the innocent, destroying those who do not know how to fight. Those who can fight, are either soldiers or Hunters. I am one of the few Hunters left."  
She looked around, her passion and anger burning brightly in everything she said.  
"I can explain in detail about my world and I can guarantee you, that if you do not stop fighting amongst yourselves, that your world will be destroyed just like mine was. If you want a world without light and laughter, then go ahead and fight amongst yourselves. Otherwise, let's do something about it."  
Kendra sat down, not even bothering to cover up. Aragorn looked at her with a look of admiration. Then rest of the council also looked at her differently. Elrond let silence rest a little before standing back up again.  
"As I said before, you have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed."  
"I will take it," a voice spoke up, one that hadn't been heard before.  
All turned to look at the hobbit, Frodo.  
  



	7. One Question

The Fellowship had been decided. Frodo was going to take the One Ring to Mordor. Going with him were his friends from the Shire, Sam Gamgee, Pippin Took, and Merry Brandybuck. Aragorn had also said that he was going. Shortly after was Legolas and Gimli. Boromir also agreed to go, because 'the fate of the world rested on Frodo.' Gandalf was the first to say he was going and no one argued.  
Kendra stood on her balcony, relaxing in the night breeze. She had heard stories about things like this; people going on quests to destroy an evil of the land, the heroes triumphing over any army of evil. She shook her head. Could she be in the middle of a history making moment?  
"Kendra?" a voice called into her room.  
She turned towards the voice and there was Lord Elrond. He moved into her room, coming to stand beside her on the balcony.  
"Is everything okay?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.  
"I don't know. I am worried about my family. I am also worried that I won't be able to return home."  
"I understand. You care for your family very much, don't you?"  
"Yes, I miss my sisters and brother most of all."  
"How many sisters do you have?"  
"Three. My younger siblings are quadruplets. They're ten years old. My parents don't spend a lot of time at home so I raised them myself. They are precious to me. Many call me sentimental but, in our world, if you don't truly love your family, you lose them."  
"I understand. It is encouraging to see someone who truly loves and worries about their family. Many people don't show enough love to their family."  
"Do you have anyone you miss, Lord Elrond?" Kendra asked.  
"I do," Elrond said quietly. "I have several people I miss."  
"Brothers? Sisters?"  
"One brother. He was my twin but he chose a different path. It has been years since he died and I still miss him."  
"I am sorry. I didn't know," Kendra said quickly, looking back out into the valley.  
"No, you don't have to be sorry. You do not know anything of our history so it is natural for you to be curious."  
"Curiosity shouldn't cause someone pain."  
"Then how do you learn?"  
Kendra started laughing, "You sounded like one of my friends. He would say that I would never learn unless I asked."  
"And he was right. That is one of the best ways to learn."  
"Well then, may I ask one question?" Kendra asked, turning to face the elf-lord.  
"Yes, you may."  
"May I go with the Fellowship?"  



	8. Setting Off

The day the Fellowship was leaving dawned bright and clear. The Hobbits were already down in the courtyard, the youngest of the four was still stuffing his face. Aragorn was talking with Gandalf while waiting to depart. Boromir was helping Sam to secure the last few items on Bill the pony. Legolas was standing off to the side, opposite from Gimli. Merry just stood and watched Pippin eat. Frodo stood by himself, lost in his thoughts.  
Lord Elrond came forward out of the crowd that had come to see them off. He gave a short speech before wishing them the blessings of every free race in Middle Earth.  
"The Fellowship awaits the Ringbearer," Gandalf said.  
Frodo turned and started out of Rivendell, leading the Fellowship.  
  



	9. Remembering

Years of training had honed her skills. Years of training had taught her to be as quiet as any elf. Years of training... All that training had done her no good when the bomb had killed all the men in her group. All the men... including her twin brother. She had knelt there on the cold, hard cement of the torn street and hugged his body to her chest while he breathed his last. No tears had fallen on that night and no tears could fall for she had hardened her heart.  
'War makes you into a heartless bitch, doesn't it?' she thought.  
Even though the government said the war was officially over, it had never ended. The war continued with men, women, and children dying by the hands of creatures created from man's darkest nightmares. She had seen men having the blood drained from their bodies while they were still alive and screaming. She had seen men blown to bits with bombs. She had seen viruses from bacterial bombs leave people helpless where they fell. She had seen so much and she was going to see it again.  
The Fellowship walked underneath the tree she was sitting in. None knew she was there and that was the way she wanted it. Elrond had said that he would advise her not to go but if she 'disappeared from Rivendell' he would not send out guards to bring her back. Basically, he was saying that she could go but she had to make sure no one knew she was going. With that in mind, she dropped out of the tree and followed the Fellowship on their journey.  
  



	10. Damn Birds

"Do you still think someone is following us, Legolas?" Aragorn asked, coming up behind the elf.  
"I don't know. At times, it seems like there is someone but I can never see any sign of a follower."  
"I think you are being paranoid."  
"Well, thank you, mellon-nin."  
Aragorn smiled at the sarcastic tone in the elf's voice. Truthfully, he felt that they were being followed. Whoever was following certainly knew how to hide from a Ranger and an elf. Hopefully, they would find whoever was following them. Otherwise, if Legolas found out that he was being just as paranoid, the teasing would never stop.  
  
They had finally stopped to decide where they were going to continue on to. Boromir had taken it upon himself to teach the halflings how to use a sword. Kendra stayed hidden behind some rocks up above the Fellowship and watched as the three, Boromir, Pippin, and Merry, ran through some sword techniques. She laughed quietly when Boromir accidentally knocked the sword from Pippin's hand who then tackled him, closely followed by Merry. Boromir went down but he was not helpless. Unfortunately, someone else decided to join in at this moment. Aragorn stood up from where he had been sitting, and smoking, to get the hobbits off of Boromir. She watched as the two hobbits looked at each other, and before Aragorn could mutter one word, they had grabbed his ankles and pulled his feet out from under him. That was when she heard Sam ask, "What is that?"  
She looked to where Legolas was watching the sky. Everyone else stopped to look. Gimli mentioned that it was a cloud with Boromir noting that it was going against the wind.  
"Crebain, from Dunland," Legolas said.  
"HIDE!" Aragorn shouted.  
The Fellowship went into a flurry of activity then. Kendra grabbed her belongings and quickly ducked under an outcropping. Unfortunately for her, it was already occupied.  
  



	11. Caught and Dirty Looks

The crebain flapped around the camp a few times before wheeling about in the sky and heading off, back the way they came. The Fellowship slowly pulled themselves out from their various hiding places. One member came out, pulling someone else with him.  
"Aragorn, look who I found," Boromir said, throwing Kendra to the ground.  
"Kec, what are you doing here?" Gandalf asked.  
"What does it look like? I am most certainly not here to be thrown around, though," Kendra replied, throwing a dirty look up at Boromir.  
"Why are you not back in Rivendell?" Aragorn asked.  
"Because I figured I might be of more use here than there."  
"The Fellowship was already made, and besides, does Lord Elrond know you have left?"  
"Maybe he does, and maybe he doesn't. What does it matter? You can't send me back, I might get lost."  
"I doubt that," Boromir muttered.  
A second dirty look was thrown his way. The Fellowship didn't know what to do with her but they all agreed that they had to move before any enemies found their campsite. So it was that the Fellowship gained their newest member, Kendra. Very few people in the Fellowship were glad to have her.  
  



	12. Snow and A Secret

'It is so cold, cold, COLD!' Kendra thought, as she gathered the collar of her coat around her throat.  
She was walking in front of Boromir, who had decided that he was going to keep an eye on her. In front of the group was Gandalf, who was using his staff to break a path for the Fellowship. Following him was Merry and Pippin, who seemed to be enjoying themselves. Next was Gimli, who she laughed at silently every time he turned around. He was using his axe as a walking stick. Following Gandalf was Legolas. She looked at him and she wanted to scream. No one ever mentioned that elves walked on top of the snow.  
"Frodo," Kendra heard Aragorn shout.  
By the time she turned around, she was watching Boromir standing back up. Kendra couldn't see around him but she knew what he had. He was holding the One Ring.  
"Boromir," Aragorn said.  
Boromir snapped out of whatever trance he was in. He gave it to Frodo before turning around to start walking back up. Before she turned back around, she noticed Aragorn taking his hand off the hilt of his sword.  
  
Kendra huddled down, trying to avoid the snow that was blowing around her. Because of all the changes to her world, she had never dealt with blizzards. Floods yes, blizzards no. She watched Legolas walk up to the edge of the cliff, a sharp drop off.  
"There is a fell voice on the air," he said over the screaming wind.  
"It's Sarumon!" Gandalf shouted.  
A crack sounded and some snow fell past them. Gandalf started a spell, trying to protect them. A flash of lightning struck the snow above them and an avalanche started. Legolas grabbed Gandalf and pulled him back. Kendra knelt down as the snow piled up around them.  
Silence fell as best it could after the avalanche. Legolas was the first head to pop out. Soon, all nine heads were above the snow.  
"We cannot stay here," Boromir said.  
"Wait, where is Kendra?" Legolas asked.  
"It is getting warm. And it's supposed to be cold," Pippin spoke up.  
All nine agreed because it was true. Suddenly, before anyone could say anything, a black figure came from out of the snow. It was Kendra. Her coat flapped in the wind as she turned to face them. Her eyes were solid silver and no emotions showed on her face as she settled down on the snow. She pointed back the way they came and the snow melted to form a path.  
  



	13. Searching Eyes

Several days later, they were at the foot of the mountains again. Kendra sat off to the side, her back towards them. No one could get her to talk anymore. It was as if she had changed. Sam had started a fire and everyone was sitting around it. Aragorn looked up from lighting his pipe and stared at Kendra's back. He finally stood up and walked over to her.  
"You okay?" he asked, settling down beside her.  
Kendra shook her head, turning her face away from him.  
"What is wrong? Why aren't you talking to us anymore?"  
"You don't think it strange that one minute my eyes are steel gray and then the next they are solid silver. I am surprised you didn't throw me out of your first camp after we got out of that storm."  
"Why should we? You saved our lives. I don't care if you have powers that none of us have," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder.  
Kendra turned to face him, her gray eyes looking deep into his. She was searching for something, anything that would show he was lying to her. When she couldn't find anything, she smiled a little.  
"It has been so long since someone has found out that I have powers and hasn't tried to kill me because of it."  
"Will you join us back in the camp?"  
"Yes."  
  



	14. Pain

It had been decided at that camp to make for the Mines of Moria. Gimli seemed pleased with this new plan and proceeded to tell them about the dwarves who had gone there to try mining there again. Kendra listened to his stories about the glories of Moria, which were apparently many. She didn't like the thought of wandering through those mines, not if these orcs, whatever they were, had once made their homes there.  
The Fellowship traveled for days, through all sorts of weather. Each day, tempers grew shorter and the fights grew longer. Most of the fights were between Boromir and Aragorn, or Boromir and Gandalf. Boromir kept insisting that they make for Minas Tirith, his home. Both Aragorn and Gandalf kept saying that they were not going that way, that it was too obvious and they would never make it out from that city.  
Kendra listened to these arguments, thinking that these men would never settle their differences. Several times she thought that Aragorn and Boromir would come to blows. One time it almost did, except that Legolas and Gimli, who were agreeing for once, stepped in and broke the two apart. Kendra would have stepped in but, ever since Caradhras, she had been ill. Aragorn had been trying to get her to take some herbs that he knew would help with anything but she kept refusing.  
They rested in another rocky area just as the sun rose. Kendra walked over to a small rock and sat down, cramps spreading through her body. Tonight had been the worst night for her yet. She knew in another couple of hours she would be fine. This illness lasted for a little while, almost two weeks exactly, and she had made it through it before. She did not tell anyone, especially Aragorn, who thought it was a simple illness, that it was because of something else.  
Kendra laid down, stretching out on the rock and drew her coat tight around her. She rolled on her side as another cramp took her body. Thankfully, no alarm would sound for her to leave. She could lie here in misery for the last couple of hours. Unfortunately, that wasn't meant to be.  
"Kendra, we have to move somewhere else," Gandalf called to her.  
Kendra sat up again, ignoring the pain, and stood to follow. They moved further into the rocky hills and found a large cave. All ten moved in and sat down. Packs were set down and Bill the pony was unpacked and let loose just outside the cave. Aragorn rifled through his pack, all the while watching Kendra, who had doubled over in pain again.  
"Miss Kendra, you alright?" Sam asked as he leaned down to get his cooking supplies.  
"No, Sam, I am not," she replied.  
"Is there anything I can do?"  
"No, Sam, there isn't anything. I have to bear this myself."  
"Kendra, if you weren't feeling good, you should have told me," Aragorn said, walking over.  
He placed a hand on her forehead before kneeling down in front of her.  
"You're running a fever. Why did you not say anything?"  
"Because I am going to be fine in a couple of hours. There is nothing you could have done to relieve me of this."  
"What do you mean? I have herbs that could relieve this fever and stop any cramps."  
"Aragorn, I appreciate your worry. But," Kendra stopped as a wave of pain hit her. After it passed, she kept talking, "this is something I have dealt with before. I have had this before."  
"If you say so. But, if it does not go away like you say, then I want you to tell me. Okay?"  
"Yes, sir."  
After that, Aragorn kept a close eye on her. True to her word, several hours after they found the cave, Kendra fell asleep, without pain. Aragorn couldn't understand but he didn't want to press Kendra for answers that she didn't want to give.  
  



	15. Before the Doors of Moria

They pressed on, making their way to the cliff face that was said to have the doors that led to Moria. Kendra watched as Gimli and Gandalf moved down the wall, tapping occasionally as if they were listening for something.  
"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gimli said, tapping again.  
"Yes, Gimli, not even their own masters can find them if there secrets are forgotten," Gandalf said from up front.  
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas muttered.  
This earned a growl from Gimli. Soon, Gandalf found what he was looking for. He said it was ithildin, a metal that reflected only starlight and moonlight. They watched as the moon came from behind a cloud and the doors soon glowed. They were giant doors and the carvings were unusual, at least to Kendra's mind. Gandalf translated them and then proceeded to try and open them. 'Try' being the main word.  
"It's not working," was the next thing she heard.  
Gandalf tried again and still the doors didn't open. Kendra sat down on a rock underneath one of the dead trees that was on either side of the door. This was going to be a long night.  
  
About an hour later, they were still sitting outside the doors. Gandalf had run through every spell he could think of. Nothing worked. Kendra looked around her at the rest of the Fellowship. Legolas had moved to stand behind her underneath the tree. Sam and Aragorn were dealing with Bill the pony while Merry and Pippin were tossing rocks into the blackened waters of the lake they were next to. Gimli had pulled out his pipe and seemed to be staring at absolutely nothing.  
"Oh, I give up," Gandalf said, throwing his staff down and then sitting down himself.  
Frodo looked up at this point and then quickly stood up. "It's a riddle," he muttered.  
The water rippled at this point, but not from rocks being thrown into it. Aragorn had stopped that seconds earlier.  
"What's the elvish word for 'friend'?"  
"Mellon."  
A grating sound was heard and both Legolas and Kendra moved to get away from the opening doors. Boromir and Aragorn were herding the two younger hobbits into the mines while looking back at where the ripples were. Kendra herself could understand why they were so edgy. Something was wrong, but what it was, she didn't know. The members of the Fellowship followed Gandalf into the darkness of the mines and waited while he put a crystal onto the top of his staff. All the while, Gimli was talking.  
"Roaring fires,...ripe meat off the bone," she heard him saying. "This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine."  
Light fell on the scene of death just inside the door. Corpses everywhere. Most were nothing but bones.  
"This isn't a mine," Boromir said, looking around, "it's a tomb."  
"No. NO!" Gimli shouted.  
Legolas had gone to one of the corpses and pulled out an arrow. "Goblins!" was all he said.  
He threw the arrow and pulled one of his own. Aragorn and Boromir pulled their swords while the Hobbits pulled their daggers.  
"We should never have come here."  
'Best observation of the century,' Kendra thought.  
"GET OUT!" Boromir shouted.  
The Hobbits were already moving. But the next thing they heard, "Strider!"  
Aragorn looked back at the use of his Ranger name and saw Frodo being pulled out of the mines. Merry and Pippin were trying to pull Frodo away from the tentacles that had suddenly appeared. Sam was hacking away at the one that had Frodo's ankle. It didn't do anything except throw them away with another tentacle. Boromir and Aragorn at this time had come of the mines and were hacking away at the tentacles. A string sung as Legolas let loose an arrow. Kendra watched as Frodo was flung about in the air, screaming.  
"Legolas, into its eye," Aragorn shouted.  
Legolas let loose another arrow as Aragorn and Boromir waded back to the shore, Boromir holding Frodo who he had caught when the creature had let go. Legolas quickly pushed Kendra through the open doorway as the rest of the Fellowship came through. They all turned just in time to watch the creature pull the doorway down behind them, effectively blocking their only chance of getting out. All went silent, except for the sounds of breathing.


	16. No Choice

Suddenly, thump, thump, thump. Gandalf had lit the crystal on his staff again.  
"Now we have but one choice. We must face the darkness of Moria," he said, walking towards the steps.  
'Can I crow with happiness now?' Kendra thought, her face showing her great displeasure.  
  
Who knows how long they had been walking. Nothing really seemed to change about this place except the scenery. If you could call it that. Kendra had never been in such a dark place in all her life. Oh sure, the streets of her home were considered to be dark and dangerous, especially after sundown. But they were nothing compared to this. The back of her neck prickled like there was somebody always watching them.  
Gandalf had taken up a position in the front with Aragorn and a torch bringing up the rear. They all kept close eyes on each other. Most of the time, Boromir would keep his hand near his sword. Nothing too exciting had happened except Pippin had tried to fall all the way back down the stairs at one point. Gandalf had also shown them one of the greatest treasures of Moria, an entire strand of mithril that the dwarves had started to mine. Kendra had never seen anything like it. The strand looked like silver but glittered like a diamond. If it looked like that, she could only imagine what the items crafted with it looked like.  
  



	17. Know Your Strengths

AN: Sorry about the wait. I was on a roll when writing this and didn't want to take the time to post. I've had several people ask if Kendra is going to fall in love with Boromir. Well, like I tell my sisters, you'll just have to wait and see.

'Something always seems to come up,' Kendra thought as she watched Gandalf stop in front of three doors.  
It didn't help when he next said, "I have no memory of this place."  
They decided to camp there for a while, just to give Gandalf the chance to search his memory. Kendra sat across from Aragorn and Boromir, the former who was smoking. The Hobbits had all sat down near the stairs, ready to move once Gandalf told them which door. Legolas was holding his bow and was standing as far away from Aragorn and Gimli, who was also smoking, as he could get.  
"Kendra," she heard a voice ask.  
Kendra looked to the voice, "Yes, Aragorn?"  
"I was just wondering. I know it has been several days but, how are you feeling?"  
"I feel fine. Why do you ask?"  
Aragorn took the pipe out of his mouth, "Because just before we came in here, you were in so much pain that it looked like you didn't want to move. Now, you don't look like there is a trace of pain."  
"I have gotten use to the pain, Aragorn. It happens every once in a while."  
"How often?" Boromir asked, genuinely curious.  
"Every time I use my powers," Kendra said shortly.  
Both men had a quizzical look on their faces. Kendra laughed a little, realizing that she would have to explain further.  
"Where I come from, it is not uncommon for people to have certain powers. I guess you could call us the wizards of the future. Well, most of the people who have these powers, try to hang onto their powers all the time. They can have unlimited health and they never seem to get sick. I trained my body to work without holding onto my powers," she told them. She stopped and sighed, "Truth to tell, I kind of made my body reject having magic in it. Whenever I use my powers, even for the shortest time, I make myself sick because my body does not want the power in it. That's why I don't use my powers that often."  
"You've trained your body to use your physical strengths," Legolas spoke up.  
All three looked to the elvish prince.  
"That's right. My thinking was that if there ever came a time when I couldn't depend on my powers, how would I survive. I was called a fool because of that but I didn't care."  
Aragorn puffed a little on his pipe before speaking again. "That is actually something very smart to do. And you are right. If you couldn't depend on you born gifts then you would have to depend on your physical strengths."  
"Ah, it's this way," Gandalf suddenly said.  
Everyone turned and looked at the wizard.  
"He's remembered," one of the Hobbits, Merry, said.  
"No. The air doesn't smell so foul down here," Gandalf said. "When in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose."  
'And knowing the Hobbits, it will lead them to a meal,' Kec thought, laughing silently.


	18. Battle in the Tomb

They traveled down some stairs, only guided by Gandalf's staff. They came out into a large room. What small sounds they were making barely echoed. To Kec, it didn't feel as thick as the other rooms they had traveled through.  
"Now would be the time for a little more light," Gandalf muttered, holding his staff aloft.  
The light grew, illuminating the hall. Everyone stood and looked around, awe evident on many a face. Kec realized that standing next to these pillars, she was tiny compared to this once-great civilization. They walked down the hall, looking around, trying to see if the shadows moved with a hidden threat. Nothing.  
Suddenly, "Huh?" echoed gruffly through the hall. It was Gimli.  
He took off running, ignoring Gandalf's cry of "Gimli."  
The Fellowship followed him and soon found him kneeling in front of a tomb.  
"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin. Lord of Moria," Gandalf read. "So, he is dead."  
Boromir came up behind Gimli and put his hand on Gimli's shoulder, trying to comfort him. The four Hobbits had moved further into the room, looking around. Gandalf had handed Pippin, who was closest to him, his staff and hat. Kendra was standing behind Aragorn in the doorway. She watched as Gandalf leaned down and picked up a book, prying it out of the skeletal fingers of a dead dwarf. She shivered. This place gave her the creeps.  
Gandalf opened the book and blew some of the dust off of it. He started to read. Kendra really didn't pay attention to what he was saying. But what Legolas said next really caught her attention.  
"We should leave now. We cannot linger," he said to Aragorn.  
Aragorn nodded and turned back to what Gandalf was saying.  
"They are coming," he finished.  
A crash sounded through the tiny room, scaring everyone. A helmeted, skeletal head of a dwarf that had been propped up on the well fell into it, quickly followed by its body and the rusty chain and bucket that had been tied around it. The sounds echoed through the mines, slowly growing softer and softer. After a few seconds of silence, everyone breathed a small sigh of relief.  
"Fool of a Took," Gandalf said, anger evident as he closed the book, "throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity." Gandalf grabbed his staff and hat back from the unfortunate Hobbit, glaring as he turned around.  
Then he suddenly stopped and turned back to the well. It was small, almost unnoticed. Drum beats. These were quickly followed by screeches and more drums. Panic spread through the Hobbits. Aragorn quickly herded the Hobbits into a corner while Gimli pushed himself away from the tomb.  
"Orcs," Legolas said, while turning to face the door.  
Kendra turned and looked out, Boromir soon standing next to her and leaning even further out the door. Kendra heard a whistling sound and pulled Boromir's head back using his hair. He glared at the arrows that were now impaled on the door.  
Both moved back quickly into the room and slammed the rusty doors shut. Kendra moved to pick up some spears to wedge the doors while Boromir turned to face Aragorn who came to help them.  
"They have a cave troll," he said, making it sound like it was a good thing.  
Legolas quickly tossed axes and spears to the three. They quickly moved back, Kendra picking up an axe for her weapon. No way in Hell was she going to fight these things with bare hands. She took up a position beside Boromir and a wall, making sure the Hobbits were behind her. They watched as the creatures started chopping at the doors. Aragorn and Legolas both stood with arrows on their strings. Boromir bounced back and forth waiting for the moment to strike. Gimli stood on the top of Balin's tomb, blustering about being the last dwarf breathing in Moria.  
A strike from an axe and you could see the orcs beyond the doors. An arrow sang and a creature shrieked. Legolas quickly put another arrow onto the string as Aragorn released his and struck another creature. The doors burst open at this point and the flood of orcs made Kendra realize that this was going to be like another one of her street fights. She swung the axe and took off several heads, quickly getting into the flow of battle. The battle hadn't been going for very long when she heard the sound of stone hitting the floor and an enraged roar from a creature the size of a small house.  
Sam shouted and ran in between the legs of the troll, drawing its attention. The troll turned and unfortunately, Sam couldn't get off the floor fast enough. He closed his eyes, waiting for the foot to stomp him flat. Kendra swung her axe, taking off several more heads, trying to reach the small Hobbit. Thankfully, Boromir and Aragorn were watching out for the Hobbit, as well. They both grabbed the troll's chain and pulled, knocking him off balance. Sam scrambled away, grabbing one of his pots to defend himself.  
Kendra turned back to the battle, grabbing a hacked off spear. She swung and blocked for a few seconds before she saw something large go flying into a wall. It was Boromir. He hadn't let go of the chain and the troll had sent him flying. Boromir sat up, shaking his head after he hit the floor. An orc stood over him, getting ready to strike the Gondorian down. The next thing he saw, a sword through the orc's chest and a piece of wood through its head. Aragorn watched long enough to see him get off the floor but Kendra was already back in the battle. She had turned her entire attention to the cave troll.  
'This is going to be fun,' she thought, smiling a little.  
The troll was entirely focused on hunting down the three hobbits. She saw the three disappear behind a pillar as the troll looked around it. Kendra watched in horror as Merry and Pippin suddenly got separated from Frodo, who the troll was so focused on. She started fighting her way across the room, trying to get to the Hobbit. All of the big folk were on the other side of the room, too far away to be any help to the trapped Hobbit.  
The troll roared and pulled a shouting Frodo out by his foot. Kendra watched in horror as Frodo was dropped. He crawled into a corner, closely followed by the troll. That was when she saw Aragorn drop down and put a spear right into the troll's chest. The troll roared in pain and batted Aragorn right into a stone pillar. Kendra swung her axe around and caught a sword that had been aimed at her head. Because of that, she didn't see what had happened next. But she heard everything.  
Sam shouted and started beating through the sea of orcs. Gandalf fought like a man possessed. Merry and Pippin had thrown themselves onto the head of the troll and had proceeded to jam their swords into its head. It grabbed one by the foot and threw him away. Kendra turned around in time to see Legolas shoot an arrow right into its open mouth. She watched as the troll touched the arrow, as if in shock. It wobbled a little before crashing down to the floor, throwing the last Hobbit. They stood there watching it for a few seconds before everyone turned to see about Frodo.  
Gandalf moved in front of Kendra's vision but she did see Aragorn crawling over to the limp form of the fallen Hobbit. A moan was heard and Sam's relieved, "He's alive," eased their fears. Kendra moved around and watched as Aragorn looked at Frodo with a look of wonder in his eyes.  
"That spear would have skewered a wild boar," Aragorn said in disbelief.  
"It would seem that there is more to this Hobbit than meets the eye," Gandalf said  
They all looked at Frodo who pulled his torn shirt open a little more. Gasps went through the group at what he was wearing.  
"Mithril," Gimli breathed out.  
Kendra just stared. Never had she seen something that looked so delicate and beautiful. She was pulled out of her awe by another sound. They all looked to the broken doorway and listened as orcs started coming closer.  
"To the Bridge of Khazad-Dum."  



	19. The Bridge: Part 1

They ran. This was no pleasure trip now. This was a fight for their lives. It was either try to outrun the orcs or die and be their dinners. Kendra silently voted for the first option. She was near the back, right in front of Aragorn. Gandalf suddenly stopped in front of them as the sea of orcs closed in. The Fellowship now stood back to back. The orcs would make small lunges in, trying to see if someone would break.  
A growl broke through the screeches, causing the orcs to grow silent. It sounded again, this time causing panic. Kendra watched in disbelief as hundreds of orcs disappeared into the shadowy depths. Her attention turned to where the growl had come from. There was something glowing, like a large bonfire.  
"The Balrog of Morgoth," she heard Gandalf mutter. "This foe is beyond any of you. RUN!"  
So saying, the Fellowship turned and ran. Gandalf stopped at a door and motioned for the rest to go through. The first person through was Boromir, who had one of the torches. Kendra went through, following the Hobbits and Legolas, just in time to see Boromir's arms pinwheeling as he tried to stop himself from falling over the side. Legolas grabbed him and they both fell to the stairs behind them. Kendra started down the stairs, stopped and looked back up to Gandalf and Aragorn.  
"Lead them on, Aragorn. The bridge is near."  
They both looked and Kendra followed their gaze. There so close and yet so far was the bridge. Standing above a canyon that looked like it had no bottom, it looked like it would drop at any minute, thus cutting off their hopes of escaping this dark prison. Kendra started down the stairs, intent on getting to that bridge. She heard the sounds of the other's feet as they quickly followed her.  
They came to an area of the stairs where the middle part had fallen out. Legolas quickly jumped over and turned back to them.  
"Gandalf," he said, motioning for them to jump.  
Gandalf quickly jumped and was steadied by the elf. They turned back and just then heard a whistling sound. An arrow hit the stone just beneath them, making the presence of orcs known once again. Legolas fired an arrow into the dark and they heard as an orc screech fell into the caverns. Boromir quickly grabbed Merry and Pippin, jumping safely to the other side. Aragorn picked up Sam and threw him into Boromir's waiting arms once the other two Hobbits were safe. Kendra quickly followed and turned to watch Gimli stop Aragorn from picking him up.  
"Nobody tosses a dwarf," he said, then jumped.  
He almost didn't make it. Legolas reached out the same time as Kendra and both grabbed his beard, the only thing they could reach in time.  
"Not the beard!" Gimli shouted.  
They pulled him up and Kendra looked him right in the eye and said, "Well, what else were we supposed to grab?"  
Now there were only two left on the other side, Aragorn and Frodo. A crash against the wall at the top of the stairs sent cracks racing up the walls. It also sent several nice chunks of ceiling to come crashing down onto the stairs behind Aragorn and Frodo. Kendra heard the cracking of stone and all watched in horror as the set of stairs that they had just jumped from began to teeter back and forth. Aragorn grabbed Frodo and both steadied themselves as the stairs began to move.  
"Lean forward," Aragorn shouted and both leaned a little.  
That was all it took as they began to come towards the rest of the Fellowship. Stone hit stone and the two flew forward, Legolas catching Aragorn and Boromir catching Frodo. They continued their desperate flight towards the bridge. They rounded a corner, Gandalf urging them faster. They all heard a sound, but none turned to see what it was.  
They reached the bridge, Boromir crossing first. He reached the other side and turned to make sure the others crossed safely. Kendra reached the other side and turned to see a nightmare come true. Gandalf was the last one coming across. Once everyone was across, he stopped on the middle of the bridge. He turned to face a creature of flame.  
Kendra's eyes widened in horror. "A Hell bat," she breathed.  



	20. The Bridge: Part 2

"You shall not pass!" Gandalf shouted to the creature.  
The creature pulled out a whip and cracked it in the air.  
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Arnor. Dark Fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun."  
The creature brought his sword down onto Gandalf's, lightening flashing from the contact. Two pieces went falling down, the remains of its sword. Gandalf stood on the bridge, staff and sword flashing brightly. He brought the staff above his head.  
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" he shouted, bringing the staff down onto the bridge with a flash of light.  
The balrog snorted and started forward. Suddenly, the bridge collapsed underneath of it and sent it falling down the canyon. Gandalf turned, looking tired and older. Suddenly, a whip came flashing out of the depths and wrapped around his legs, pulling him backwards. Frodo started forward, intent on helping the wizard. He was stopped by Boromir who quickly picked the Hobbit up.  
Gandalf hung onto the edge of bridge, trying to haul himself up. Aragorn walked a little ways forward.  
"Fly, you fools," he said before letting go.  
Kendra looked quickly at the falling form and quickly drew upon her powers, fully intent on bringing him back up. She was suddenly pushed towards the stairs by Legolas and Gimli, thus making her loose her concentration. As she ran up the stairs, she heard Frodo calling out to Gandalf and Boromir calling Aragorn, who had not moved from his spot.  
They made it out into the cold afternoon light, on the other side of the mountains. Each member picked a spot and just dropped. Merry and Pippin were holding onto each other and crying. Boromir was holding Gimli back while Legolas just stood there in shock. Sam was crying by himself while Kendra just stood staring out into the land before them.  
'I could have saved him,' was all that kept running through her mind. She could cry no tears.  
The silence that had fallen on the stricken Fellowship was broken by Aragorn, who showed no sign of mourning.  
"Legolas, get them up."  
Boromir rounded on the Ranger, "Give them a moment for pity's sake."  
"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs. We must reach the woods of Lothlorien. Come, Legolas. Gimli, get them up."  
Each member started moving, slowly.  
"Frodo!" Aragorn shouted, looking for the Ringbearer. He found him walking in another direction. "FRODO!"  
Kendra watched as Frodo turned, pain evident on his face. This was not going to be easy for anyone.  



	21. Encountering the Lorien Elves

The Fellowship had been walking down the mountain all afternoon. It was obviously early afternoon when they left the Mines of Moria so they knew they could travel a good distance. Kendra watched as Aragorn ran ahead of them, through a small stream and stopped just beyond it. Once they reached his spot, they all saw what he had been looking up. The Woods of Lothlorien, another home of the elves, according to Legolas.  
They soon made their way underneath the boughs of trees. It was quiet here. But it wasn't an unnatural silence. This silence seemed appropriate, somehow. They walked further into the woods, several members growing slightly uneasy. This was most noticeable in the dwarf. He pulled Frodo and Sam closer to him and started talking to them in quiet whispers.  
A soft breeze warned Kendra of the coming danger and she quickly pulled out a small knife just as the first elf appeared in front of the Fellowship. Arrows were quickly put to the string, both by the new elves and by Legolas. The Hobbits just stopped in shock while Aragorn held his hands up in a sign of peace.  
"The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark," a new voice, calm and slow said.  
The elf that belonged with this voice appeared from behind several other elves. Kendra knew right away, just by looking at him, that he was a leader. No ifs, ands, or buts. He was also very smug, something she hated. He looked at Aragorn and listened as Aragorn spoke to him in his language.  



	22. Waiting

That night, the Fellowship found themselves in a _talan_ high in the trees. Aragorn was off to the side, arguing with Haldir, the March Warden of Lothlorien. The rest of the Fellowship sat off to the side, waiting for whatever was going to happen next. Kendra, unlike the Fellowship, had actually taken to the trees and now sat on a branch, just above the rest. An elf still stood guard over her, a little higher up in the tree.  
She thought back to the events that happened before she awoke here. She still didn't know how she got here; everything was just a blur. She remembered that there had been a call coming in. She was apart of a new company, not the leader this time, which she was thankful for. They had to go and stop a gang fight, which included Summoners. They were the nastiest of mages. They could go into a man's dreams and pull out his darkest nightmares. Most of the time, this was so hard on that person that they died immediately after summoning the creature. The company had gone and Kendra had done her job as a Mage Hunter.  
She shook her head, trying to forget that battle. She had used no magic, only her physical strengths and street smarts. Kendra remembered hearing a scream as the final Summoner was taken down, cheering greeting the woman's death. A flash of light was all the Kendra remembered after the woman hit the ground. Kendra had gone home that night, exhausted and fully intent on sleeping in her bed that night. She stepped into her house and that was all that she remembered.  
"Follow me," she heard Haldir say.  
Kendra jumped onto the platform, surprising Boromir a little at her appearance. Then she followed the rest of the group.  



	23. Introduced to the Lord and Lady

They walked all day, only stopping a few times to break and catch their breath. They hadn't slept since they got out of the mines and that was beginning to take a toll on the Hobbits. They seemed to walk slower after every break. Kendra yawned a little but she was used to something like this.  
'I never thought that pulling all those forty-eight hour days would be so useful,' she thought to herself, stifling another yawn.  
Nobody really talked as they walked. The Lothlorien elves kept mostly to themselves. Aragorn was up ahead with Haldir and Legolas, who seemed to be having a quiet conversation between them. They crested a large hill and there Haldir stopped. The rest of group caught up and looked ahead at a wondrous sight.  
"_Caras Galadhon_," he said, pride showing in his voice.  
'It's amazing,' was all she could think.  
They started walking down. Kendra couldn't believe that this was a home of elves. It was so different from Rivendell.  
  
Haldir had led them right into the heart of Lothlorien. Kendra looked around, surprised to see so few things on the ground. Even though she knew it was impossible, it seemed so open. There was so much space in between the trees that it really didn't seem like she was in a forest. Kendra followed the group as they were led up a set of stairs, revealing exactly where the city was.  
'Is there ever a top to this?' Kendra thought, after a long time of climbing.  
They had been climbing with a few stops at times to rest. She looked up and saw that they didn't have too much further to go. They were almost at the top. Haldir stood up again and told them to continue following him. The Fellowship followed Haldir the rest of the way and came out onto a platform. Kendra couldn't believe the beauty that surrounded her.  
'Elves are amazing. How do they do things like this?' she thought as she followed the Fellowship.  
They stopped in front of some stairs and waited. Several minutes passed before they saw the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien come down the stairs. Both were glowing with the light that seemed to come naturally from elves. Kendra immediately lowered her eyes, knowing these two were very important. The Hobbits and Gimli stood in awe while Legolas and Aragorn bowed their heads, quickly followed by Boromir.  
"Nine there are here, and yet the ninth is not one of the ones who set out from Rivendell," Lord Celeborn said, pointedly looking at Kendra. "Where is Gandalf?"  
Kendra brought her eyes up to meet with his. There was no emotion showing in them and she immediately lowered her eyes again, blushing slightly as she did.  
"She joined us as we were traveling through the wilderness," Aragorn said, reaching back to grip Kendra's hand quickly.  
"Then we do not know if she is trustworthy or not."  
"My Lord, I would trust her with my life," Legolas said.  
Silence followed that statement.  
Celeborn broke it, "I ask again, where is Gandalf?"  
"He has fallen into shadow," a soft voice said.  
Everyone turned to look at Lady Galadriel. She was looking right at the Fellowship, her gaze slowly drifting from member to member. Each member tried to turn away from her gaze, trying not to look at her piercing gaze.  



	24. Changes and A Quiet Talk

AN: This will be my only long note. I got a review from someone who read this story. I think you know who you are when you told me that it is better to go with quality over quantity. Well, the quality of the story wouldn't be the same if the chapters are longer. The paragraphs skip throughout the story of 'FotR.' I cannot, in my mind, combine the chapters to make them longer. Then, the quality of the story would be ruined. So please, I know what I am doing when I post the story the way I am. This is the way I wrote and this is how I would have others read it.

The Fellowship was taken to a special tent as guests. They looked at the beds and each sighed in pleasure with the thought of a comfortable bed to sleep in. The Hobbits immediately picked four beds closest to each other. Gimli chose a spot that looked like he was sleeping in between a tree root and the tree trunk. Kendra looked around and finally chose a spot that was near the opening of the tent; the one that was right there was already taken by Boromir.

Dinner was served and each person ate his fill. Kendra leaned back and sighed. The food of the elves was a delicacy to her. Most of the time all she got to eat was burnt food. Nobody in her group were great cooks and that went double for her. Most of the time, she would get stuff to make sandwiches and that was all the cooking she did. To have food like this was a dream come true.

Kendra watched as Legolas took off his green outer tunic and smoothed out his silvery under-tunic. She had never seen him without his suede tunic so this was something new to her. He looked more like a prince now that he wasn't wearing the outer tunic. Kendra looked to each member. The Hobbits were sitting off the side, none wearing their cloaks. Nothing much had changed about them. Gimli was, much to her surprise, snoring already. He was without his helmet and chain mail, making him look a little smaller than she thought. Aragorn had changed from his typical black (at least, she thought it was black) into a red tunic that looked like he almost never wore it. This made him look more like a lord than a Ranger. Boromir had moved so that he was sitting in front of the opening. He had taken off his leather tunic as well, and was sitting there in his velvet tunic without the bracers and weapons. They had all changed.

Kendra stood and made her way out of the tent. She walked over to the fountain that was just outside the tent. She looked into the water and realized how much she had changed. Her skin was no longer the pale white from having no sun. It was now a light tan. (That would explain the reason her skin had felt like it was on fire for a little while a couple of weeks ago.) Her hair, which she had kept short, was a little longer. Looking at her reflection, she realized that no one in her world would recognize her. Like she almost didn't recognize some of the members of the Fellowship, even though she had traveled with them.

She pushed away from the fountain, walking towards the trees, towards one of the many paths that led out of this glade. She needed to walk. She needed to clear her head. The look that Celeborn had given her. That look of mistrust, of doubt. She remembered it all to well. Kendra walked towards where she heard the sound of running water. As she walked, she remembered.

_"You're a Mage. You can't be trusted!"_

_"You should never have been allowed to live."_

_"You are the reason your brother died."_

_"He died to keep you alive. He died because you are a Mage!"_

_He died...He died...He died..._

Kendra collapsed by the small stream. She had been blamed for her brother's death. Even though her mother and father hadn't said anything, she still remembered the look on their faces. The look of mistrust, of doubt...of hatred. Her own parents hated her because she couldn't have done anything to save her brother. He had pushed her out of the way when the bomb went off, sending her flying down an alley, out of harm's way. And because of that, she was now hated by her own parents.

She laid down on her stomach, watching the river. Wishing that her brother was here to see such a world. A world they had created in their dreams and fantasies. Kendra rolled over onto her back and looked up at the stars. Her brother had called their world 'Paradise.' And it was a paradise. The rivers ran with clear, clean water. The trees had the sweetest fruits, and much to the delight of their younger siblings, candy growing on them. The bushes had the prettiest smelling flowers on them. The colors were the brightest you could ever see. They were brighter than the crayons they used to draw this world. Kendra smiled. Yes, her brother was in 'Paradise' right now.

"Are you sorting your thoughts out now?" a soft voice said, breaking through her thoughts.

Kendra sat up straight and turned around to face the speaker. It was the Lady Galadriel. She was standing there in a simple dress of white. Her hair was loose and fluttered gently in a light breeze. Kendra stood and looked down to the ground. She heard the Lady walk over to her and before it registered, a finger under her chin brought her head up. She forced herself to look the Lady in the eye.

"You don't need to look away from me."

"I am sorry, my Lady. It is just...it is just...oh, I don't know," Kendra said, sighing in frustration.

"I take it, this is all new to you?" Galadriel asked, laughing lightly.

"Yes, very new. You just seem so...different than the others I have met."

Galadriel laughed again, making Kendra feel a little more at ease. If she could laugh so easily, maybe she wasn't as scary as Gimli was making her out to be. Kendra watched as the Lady seated herself next to the river. She didn't make a move until Galadriel turned and motioned for her to sit down. Kendra slowly took a seat next to her, wondering why the Lady Galadriel wanted to speak to her.

They sat in silence, listening to the river flow by. Finally, the Lady Galadriel turned and looked right at her.

"You are not from this world. It is obvious. How did you come to be here?"

"That is what I am trying to figure out, my lady. I don't remember too much after my group and I finished that small street fight. All I remember is walking into my house and a flash going off. Then I woke up to find myself in a completely strange world. That's all."

Galadriel didn't say anything to this. Kendra sat there, running through her memories trying to find something that would give a hint of how she got here. But everytime, her memory stopped at the light flashing in her eyes.

"This is truly strange. I will try to help you find your way home. You are probably missing your family very much."

"Yes. Mostly my siblings, since they are still fairly young."

Galadriel smiled and stood up. She turned to walk away before stopping and looking back at Kendra.

"Don't worry about my husband. He can be a little suspicious of people at first but he only does that to protect our home."

"Thank you, my lady. That eases my mind a little."

Galadriel laughed lightly before walking away. Kendra watched her go, amazed that someone as important as the Lady Galadriel had made it a point to speak to her. And for the first time, Kendra hadn't acted in her normal attitude.

'That was a first for me. No smart remarks.'


	25. A Haunting Past

Kendra awoke the next morning to find that she was the first one up. She rolled over, fully intent on going back to sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be happening. An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to a well-muscled chest. Now she was fully awake. Kendra wiggled around as best she could to find herself face to face with a still-sleeping Boromir. Sometime during the night he had moved so that he was lying almost fully next to her. And he wasn't going to be moving away anytime soon.

Kendra pushed against his chest, trying to free herself without waking the others. That wasn't going to work, though. His grip around her was strong and everytime she pushed against him, he pulled her closer. Finally, Kendra had had enough. She wanted to get up, not be stuck in the arms of a man who didn't see her as anything more than a nuisance. Especially if he decided to wake up and find her staring him right in the face.

Kendra pulled her powers in slightly, just enough so that her eyes didn't go completely silver. Then, focusing tightly, she popped. At least, that is what she called it. It was actually teleportation. She used it very little because it was never very exact. The next thing she knew, she was outside the tent, sitting in the fountain.

'Oh well, it was time I got these washed,' she thought as she pulled herself over the side.

Anyways, she was out of there now. She was definitely changing her sleeping space tonight. There was no way she was going to continue sleeping that close to Boromir. Not that there was anything wrong with him. He was quite handsome. The only turn off was his attitude. She hated people who acted like they were better than her. Kendra slunk into the tent and grabbed one of the robes that had been laid out for the Fellowship. She really needed to get more clothes. She didn't know what she was going to do if she completely ruined these.

Kendra made her way to the river and went into some bushes to put on the robe. Then she came back out and walked to the river to wash her outfit. Most people told her it was foolish to have an all leather outfit. It was said that water ruined it and it would be unwearable after a washing. Shows what others know. She had as yet been unable to wear this outfit after washing it. Especially considering how many times she had gotten thrown into the river.

After she had finished washing it, she laid it out to dry. Then she sat down beside the river and dipped her toes into it. The cool water didn't bother her much. It was nice to be able to sit and enjoy something like this. Peace and quiet. Things that were quite foreign to her.

"Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself this morning," a voice broke through her thoughts.

Kendra groaned and turned towards the speaker.

"Can I help you, Boromir?"

Boromir stalked over beside Kendra and knelt down beside her, looking like he wanted to bite her head off.

"Can you explain to me why I was sleeping with your coat this morning? Was it some kind of joke?"

Kendra thought back and realized that when she had popped, her coat hadn't come with her.

"Do you really think I would joke around like that?"

"You have an unusual sense of humor and that just might be one part of it."

"Yeah right," Kendra snorted, "I wouldn't play a joke on you even if you did have a sense of humor. Do you really want to know what happened?"

"Why would you tell me the truth? You are probably trying to cover up something you did to me last night?"

"What reason would I have to lie to you?" Kendra's voice got a little louder.

"Plenty. You never told us why you snuck out of Rivendell, you never told us if Lord Elrond knows that you are here, you have never told us anything about your past until well after something has happened," Boromir started ticking things off before stopping. "You never even told us that you had special powers. You didn't trust us enough with that information. So, why should I trust what you tell me about this morning?"

Kendra's face flushed red. 'He knows nothing of my past. He doesn't understand that I have to keep it hidden. He doesn't understand!' she thought angrily.

She looked him right in the face, "You don't understand. You think, just because you are a lord you should know everything. Well, let me tell you something. I don't have to tell you everything about me. I could have just let everyone die in that snow and just saved myself but I didn't. I made myself sick trying to save you. I revealed to you that I had these powers. I let you know a little about my past because I thought you might understand why I did things the way I did. But you don't. You don't understand anything!"

Boromir sat there, shock on his face, as Kendra yelled at him. By the time she was done, she was standing over him shouting down at him. Once she finished, she turned, picked up her still drying clothing and ran down one of the paths that led out of the clearing. He watched her go; noting that there were tears very evident in her eyes. And they were not tears of anger.

Kendra ran. She didn't care where she ran, just as long as she got away from Boromir. He didn't understand. No one did. She was too different from the rest of these people, so how could they understand her?

'Why did I think they would all trust me?'

_"You should have died instead of your brother."_

_"He died saving your miserable life."_

_"You should have died at birth. Then your mother wouldn't have had to have such a pathetic child."_

'I am pathetic. I place too much hope and trust in others. I should be responsible only for myself, then others won't have to die for me.'

Kendra had stopped running by now and was merely walking. Her head hung as she remembered those words that had been spoken at her brother's funeral.

_"She doesn't even cry."_

_"Is she that cold that she can't even cry for her twin?"_

She couldn't cry for her twin. She couldn't even cry for herself. She was a failure in many things. She had let her brother die. She had let the men in her company die. She had let Gandalf die. Gandalf... Why couldn't he have held on a little longer? Long enough for her to get him out with a small gust of air.

Kendra hit something and fell back onto the ground. Hard. She looked up to see a pair of leggings. She followed these up to a tunic and then to some blonde hair. She mentally groaned as she realized who she had hit. Haldir, the March Warden of Lothlorien.


	26. Sparring: Part 1

"It seems that you are as clumsy as the rest of the human race," he smirked down at her, not really adding much emotion to his voice.

"Don't start with me," Kendra said, standing up. "I am not in the mood for it."

"I take it you had an argument with someone?" he asked.

"Yes. And that is all you need to know," Kendra stated, trying to move around him.

"Just as long as you don't kill anyone, you can argue to your heart's content."

Kendra looked up into Haldir's face and saw a bit of amusement dancing in his eyes. He thought this was funny.

Kendra glared at him before moving around him, fully intent on going somewhere quiet. She stopped when he spoke again.

"If you are not busy, maybe we can go somewhere and maybe spar a bit. I would be interested in seeing your fighting style."

Kendra turned and looked back at the elf. The look on his face was serious. She nodded, turned, and walked behind some bushes. When she came back out, she was back in her original outfit, minus the over shirt. Haldir looked at her outfit a little before turning and walking away. She followed him until they came to a clearing that was obviously for training. There were already some elves there but she paid them no mind. Haldir had walked over to a rack that had some swords on it. He picked out two and came back over to Kendra.

"Here," he said, holding the hilt to her.

Kendra looked at the sword like it was on fire. She had never used a sword, much less held one. She looked back up at Haldir who was waiting for her to take it.

"She's never used a sword before," she heard one of the other elves comment.

"Ssshhh."

Kendra looked at the sword for a minute longer before shaking her head.

"What will you use then?" Haldir asked, shocked that she had refused the sword.

"I will fight with my bare hands. You can use the sword. It will be more interesting that way."

Haldir nodded and set the second sword down. They walked to a deserted spot and took positions. Kendra stood, her posture loose and careless. Haldir stood, the sword in front of him, ready to strike. They stood there, facing each other. Then, Haldir moved. He swung the sword up, a killing blow aimed at her stomach. Before he knew it, he was on the ground with Kendra's foot on the back of his head.

Silence fell on the clearing. The other elves had just watched as a woman had put their greatest warrior into the dust. A human woman, at that. Kendra took her foot off of Haldir's head and reached down to help him up.

"That was amazing. How did you do that?" Haldir asked as soon as he was up.

"Quick movements. I jumped over your head and lashed out at your back. That was the reason you were in the dirt, face first," Kendra said.

"I didn't think that the 'Great Haldir' could be taken down so quickly," a new voice said.

Kendra laughed while Haldir scowled at the newest arrival. Legolas was standing off to the side, a smile on his face as he leaned against one of the trees.

"Be careful, you highness. I still have a few dirty secrets about you if you keep it up."

Kendra watched as the two bickered like old friends, though it looked like Haldir was doing most of the talking. None noticed another elf who had just walked into the clearing. Not until he spoke.

"It seems that you are good," he said, scaring Kendra who jumped while she turned to face the speaker.

Lord Celeborn. The Lord of Lothlorien.


	27. Sparring: Part 2

"Well, are you as good as you made yourself look?"

"I don't know, my lord," Kendra said, bowing slightly. "In my time, I am considered one of the best. But, I really don't know."

"Good. I hate those who brag. Will you show me what you can do?" he asked, holding up a sword.

Kendra nodded and followed him out into the center of the clearing. All conversation had stopped as they watched their lord walk out with this strange new girl. Celeborn held his sword loosely while Kendra stood, looking just as careless as she had with Haldir. All was quiet. The sound of air being sliced was all the sound that came when Celeborn struck at Kendra. Kendra flipped back out of the path of the sword. She landed on her feet, crouched close to the ground. Celeborn moved towards her, not really running but moving fast enough that she would have to move quick. She rolled out of the path of the next strike and jumped into the air, up and over. Celeborn was expecting this and turned to face her, catching her arm as she swung her hand at the back of his head. He twisted her arm, expecting her to cry out in pain. Instead, she used his momentum and her weight and leaned back towards the ground. They both went down, Celeborn letting go of her arm, allowing her to roll.

Kendra got to her feet again, looking right at Celeborn who had just managed to catch himself before he hit the ground. They stood there, silently watching the other. They had been testing each other before. Now would be the real test. Could Kendra really stand up to the older elf? She didn't know herself, so all she could do was try.

A crowd had gathered by now. Word had spread and more than half of Lothlorien was here. They wanted to see this strange girl in action. They wanted to see if she could best the Lord Celeborn.

Celeborn came at Kendra again, not swinging but moving. Kendra faked a jump to the right, and jumped left. She rolled and came up on her feet, running fast. Celeborn turned and started after her. Some people in the crowd called her a coward as she ran. She didn't hear it, though. Her mind was focused on what was right ahead. This clearing had been made to accommodate all kinds of training. Right ahead of her was a tree with a target hanging on it. Kendra ran, knowing Celeborn was closing in quickly on her. She had never been too good at running, but she made up for it in other ways. Kendra ran up to the tree, put one foot on the trunk and kicked up and back. She flew over Celeborn's head, who barely stopped running before hitting the tree. Kendra landed behind him and punched, knocking him into the tree. She pulled her dagger and placed it at the back of his neck.

Silence fell yet again. Kendra was breathing hard, leaving her dagger there for a few seconds before letting the Lord of Lothlorien step away from the tree. He turned and looked at her, no emotion showing on his face. Kendra looked down to the ground, not sure what was going to happen next.

"You are good at what you do," she heard suddenly.

Kendra looked up at Celeborn who was smiling slightly.

"Thank you, my lord."


	28. New Beginning and A Look

Several days passed after her face off with Celeborn. Boromir had as yet to speak to her. Kendra, remembering what she had said the minute she had gotten out of Boromir's arms, had moved her bed and was now sleeping beside Legolas and Aragorn. Now, she was occupied with fittings for a couple of new outfits. She had told the elves who were making them that they be exactly like the outfit she had on. The only thing was that the new ones weren't going to be made out of leather. She didn't mind, just as long as she had some new outfits.

The Fellowship was also relaxing. Several times, Kendra saw the Hobbits sitting beside the river or laying in one of the clearings. She heard them laughing, enjoying the peace and quiet. Gimli and Legolas were spending more and more time together. Aragorn would sit for hours somewhere, seemingly asleep but he would always acknowledge someone's presence. This was something that the Fellowship needed. They needed this time here.

It was on one of these quiet days that Kendra came across Boromir. He was sitting beside a small stream, laying there in the grass. Kendra walked over to his spot, wanting to see if he was asleep. His eyes were closed and he looked so peaceful. She knelt down beside him and just looked at him. Normally, when he was awake, his face looked like it was carved out of stone. Now, he kind of looked like a child. This was one side of Boromir that nobody got to see. Kendra sat down beside him and waited for him to wake up.

It was about ten minutes after she sat down that Boromir woke up. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up and didn't register Kendra's presence until he turned to get up.

"Kendra!" Boromir started.

"Good afternoon," Kendra said, laughing.

"What are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously.

"Trying to make amends," Kendra said. "I'm sorry for yelling at you a couple of days ago."

"You're sorry?"

"Yes. I normally don't lose my temper but what you said hit a sore spot. I shouldn't have yelled like I did."

"Well, it was partially my fault. You've helped us out so much and I shouldn't have said some of the things that I said."

They sat there in silence for a little while. Finally, Boromir broke the silence.

"So, do you have any family that you miss?"

It was probably one of the best days that Kendra had ever had. She and Boromir had sat by the stream, talking. Kendra told Boromir about her family, her home, and her life as a Hunter. Boromir talked mostly about his past with his little brother, Faramir. By the time dinner came, both were now friends. And Kendra had seen beyond the rough exterior of the Lord of Gondor. She saw a man who wanted nothing more than a home to go to.

Kendra made her way back to the tent, fully intent on having a quick dinner and then going to bed. She wasn't going to be so lucky.

"Kendra," a soft voice said from behind her.

Kendra turned and found herself facing Lady Galadriel.

"Yes, my lady," Kendra replied, bowing slightly.

"Please come with me."

Kendra left the clearing a few steps behind Galadriel. Her curiosity was going into overdrive. What was going to happen? Why did the Lady want to speak with her now? Maybe she found a way for her to get home. Home, a place she desperately wanted to go.

Galadriel led Kendra to a clearing with a pedestal in the middle of it. There was nothing else in the clearing except the pedestal. It looked like it had been there forever, at least to Kendra's mind. Galadriel walked to the pedestal, stopped, turned, and looked back at Kendra, inviting her to join her. Kendra walked into the clearing, looking around.

"I brought you here to talk and to show you something. I have been working on how to find a way to get you back to your home. I have found a way, but it is not going to be easy to get home."

"It never is. What do I have to do?"

"Please come here and look into the mirror," Galadriel said, sweeping her arm towards the pedestal.


	29. What the Future Holds

Kendra moved forward, cautiously. She looked down onto the pedestal into the bowl that was on it. There was water in the bowl and it rippled slightly. Kendra looked over at Galadriel, questions getting ready to come.

"Look into the mirror. All will be told."

Kendra looked down again and this time, the water stirred. Instead of looking at her own face, Kendra saw the streets of her home. There were her sisters and brother playing in the front yard. Her mother was on the porch watching them. Kendra smiled a little. That's what she wanted to go back to. The scene suddenly changed and she watched as Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas were suddenly paddling boats. She was sitting with Legolas and Gimli. They pulled onto a beach and the scene changed again. There was a battle. Several more scenes flashed before her eyes before she closed her eyes with a soft cry.

"Is that how I am supposed to get home?" she asked when she could talk without choking.

"There is no easy way to get you home. You must finish this quest. Then you will be free to return to your home."

"Finish? We don't know how long it is going to take to finish this quest. It could be years before I return home," Kendra said softly.

"There will be several paths that you can take. You will know them when they show themselves to you. Pick a path and stick with it. The end of the path will lead you home."

Kendra looked up into Galadriel's face. The Lady wasn't smiling. It looked like it pained her to tell Kendra just the same as it pained Kendra to hear it.

'I want to go home. I want to be with my family. And yet, I need to finish what I have started. I can do this. I can see my family once I finish,' Kendra thought to herself.

She looked at Galadriel and nodded. Then she turned and walked back the way she came. Her heart was breaking because she wouldn't see her family soon. She might never see them again if she died on this quest. That was her greatest fear. And that fear would make her fight harder to stay alive.

Galadriel watched Kendra go. Her head was high and her back was straight, but you could see the pain in her eyes. She knew that Kendra would continue with the quest. One of the paths had just been offered to her. She could have stayed here in Lothlorien, in peace. But she would never go home. Kendra had taken the first step in seeing her way back home. Galadriel knew that Kendra would stop at nothing to go back and nothing would get in her way.


	30. Rowing Down the River

They spent several more days in Lothlorien before the subject of leaving was brought up again. Aragorn mentioned that they had to get moving one night while they were sitting around dinner. He also mentioned that the elves were willing to lend the Fellowship several boats so they could travel by river. This was quickly welcomed, even by the Hobbits, who often didn't like traveling too much by water. After that, it was easy to arrange who was traveling in each boat. Aragorn was going to take Frodo and Sam while Boromir had Merry and Pippin. That left Legolas, Gimli, and Kendra in the last boat.

"Of course the dwarf would get stuck in a boat with an elf," Gimli complained later.

The next morning, the Fellowship started packing their belongings. The elves also gave them several things that would be considered useful on the trip down river. Kendra found that, in addition to the two new outfits they had made for her, she now had several new knives. The only thing she now had to worry about was falling into the river. This was going to be an interesting trip.

The day they left, the Fellowship was called before the Lord and Lady. The Fellowship were presented with cloaks that the elves of Lothlorien wore. They were light and seemed to change as you walked. Then Lady Galadriel started walking down the line giving each individual a present. She would stop, hand the person their present, talk softly with them and then continue to the next. Kendra watched as she seemed to pass over Aragorn entirely, except she gave him a look like they had talked about something before all this.

Soon, Galadriel stopped in front of Kendra. They looked at each other before Kendra heard Galadriel in her head.

_"I have given you your gift. Remember, you choose your path. But they will all lead you home."_

Kendra bowed her head slightly and watched as Galadriel walked back up to join her husband. Then, they were taken to their boats.

'Loading the Hobbits into these boats is like herding a bunch of kids into a safehouse,' Kendra thought as, for the fifth time, Sam refused to get into the boat.

Legolas was busy loading some packages into a boat that already held Merry and Pippin.

"How many did you eat?" she heard Merry ask.

"Four," Pippin replied and then gave a burp.

Kendra smiled and shook her head. Legolas had been telling her that the Lorien elves were giving them some _lembas_, or elvish waybread, and how one bite could keep a grown man from going hungry. Count on the Hobbits to need more.

Kendra finally got Sam into the boat, though he did look real uneasy. With that done, she turned and looked for Aragorn. He was a ways off, talking with Celeborn. Something was given to Aragorn and he turned and came back to the boat. The last people got into the boat and they pushed off. Aragorn's boat went first, leading out of Lothlorien and onto the mighty river, Anduin. Legolas followed behind Aragorn and Boromir brought up the rear. They would travel this way for the rest of the trip.


	31. Great Indeed

When they stopped on the riverbank for the night, several nights after leaving Lothlorien, Kendra took off into the night. Galadriel's words still haunted her. She hadn't told anyone else about what she had been told. The Hobbits had noticed that she had gotten quieter after Lothlorien and they had been wondering why. Several times during the trip down river, when the boats got close together, they would talk between the boats. She could only tell them so many times that she was fine. Sooner or later they were going to drive her nuts with their questions. Well, two out of the four. Frodo and Sam seemed to get the hint when she really didn't answer them.

Kendra stopped a little ways into the woods. She could still see the light glow of the campfire so she knew she could get back. Kendra sat down and looked up. Through the thin branches of the trees she could see the stars. They all looked so bright, something that continually amazed her. As she was looking up she got a crazy idea that maybe her home was somewhere up there, among those bright lights. She had to find a path home and maybe it would lead her through the stars.

A twig cracking caught her attention. Kendra moved into a crouch and pulled one of her new knives. She watched the bushes, waiting for whatever to appear. What did appear was the head of Gimli.

"Lass, what are you doing?" his gruff voice asked in surprise, eyeing the knife.

Kendra put the knife away and stood up, "I guess I have to get back to camp, right?"

"Yeah, they sent me looking for you. It ain't safe being out here by yourself."

"I was just trying to clear my head. It's a little hard doing that when you have two people asking you if you are alright all the time."

"I take it you are talking about the two young Hobbits," Gimli muttered motioning for her to move in front of him.

"That is exactly who I am talking about. As much as I love them, there is only so much 'Kec, are you alright?' that one girl can handle."

Gimli laughed a deep, hearty laugh. They made it back to the camp and settled down for the night. It was peaceful for the rest of the night.

The next morning found them paddling again. Kendra had settled back, letting Legolas take over for a little while. They had cliffs on either side of them and it was making her a little uneasy. One never knew what could be hiding on the top. But, they were coming to an end. All they had to do was go around a corner, according to Aragorn, and they would be in a lake that would lead to the Falls of Rauros.

'Yeah, just what we need. A noisy waterfall. Maybe I can send a Hobbit, or two, over them if they keep annoying me.'

Kendra looked over as Aragorn made a movement forward to tap Frodo on the shoulder. She didn't hear what he said but he motioned his head forward, indicating that something was coming up. Kendra looked ahead just as they came around the corner of the cliffs. There in front of them were two amazingly, giant statues.

"The Argonath. Long have I wanted to look upon the kings of old," Aragorn said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "my kin."

They passed through them. Kendra looked at each as they passed. She was barely big enough to even climb onto one of the toes. The thousands of people who had created these had probably done so to show how great their kings were, and if Aragorn was descended from these kings, then they were great indeed.


	32. Missing Companions

The three boats were paddled over to the far riverbank. All three were grounded before the Fellowship got out. Bags were handed out, and they were only handed out if they had important things in them. An hour passed and they soon had a small fire going. Aragorn was still bringing wood while the others had laid out the beds. It was obvious that they were going to nap before moving on. Kendra had gotten up on one of the stone stairs that was over the water. She sat there, looking out at the calm lake. You could barely hear the waterfall from here. But she could hear Aragorn behind her.

"We'll cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats, and continue on foot."

Gimli, of course, had objections to this, which he voiced loudly. Kendra stopped listening at this point. She was thinking. Galadriel had told her that the paths would reveal themselves. What could she have meant by that? What kind of paths would be revealed? And how would she know the right one? All she wanted to do was get home.

"There is a dark presence...Something's here," she heard Legolas say softly.

She didn't turn around to see who he was speaking to. What worried her more was the cold, sinking feeling that had suddenly settled on her. Something was wrong.

"Where's Frodo?" Merry suddenly asked.

Everyone turned, looking for the missing Hobbit. It didn't take too long to notice that someone else was missing. Boromir.


	33. The Battle Begins

Kendra set off into the woods. Aragorn had also gone off on his own. Legolas and Gimli had taken Sam while Merry and Pippin went off together. She walked quietly through the silent woods. The first thing she noticed was that there was no bird song. It was like all the creatures had fled from whatever had given her this cold feeling. Hopefully she would find her two missing companions before whatever was here revealed itself.

A cold wind seemed to blow through the forest, freezing Kendra to the bone. It wasn't a normal cold. It was the cold of evil, a kind of cold that she had felt once before. It had been on a warm night of patrolling. Both she and her brother had felt it, even though he had no magical talent. She later found out what had exactly caused it. Three Summoners had gathered and had summoned a figure that was dressed in all black, with armor that ground together as it walked. It seemed to suck all the warmness and happiness out of a person before taking its life. It stood there, in the middle of the street, with the bodies of its numerous victims scattered around it. They tried every attack on the creature until Kendra had drawn in her power and shot a ball of flame at it. She fell into black oblivion just as it finished burning to the ground.

'It couldn't be that again, could it?' she wondered, as she started moving in the direction that she felt the chill coming from.

Suddenly, a cry of battle rang out. Roars of some large creature were heard.

And then she heard, "Elendil!"

'Aragorn!' she thought and took off running.

Kendra raced through the woods, jumping stumps and fallen logs. A sudden sense of urgency had flooded her system. There was a battle going on ahead that, if they all fell, would truly determine the fate of this world.

Kendra dropped just as a sword swung at her. She pulled one of her knives and stabbed backwards. A howl of pain greeted her as she pulled her knife out of the flesh of some creature that was truly out of a nightmare. She picked up its sword and swung clumsily, catching it in the chest. More of these creatures poured out of the surrounding woods.

'There is no way I am fighting this many creatures with just my knives.'

She let her eyes go silver. One of the bigger, of these already big creatures, came at her. Kendra turned, her face carved seemingly out of stone, and leveled her hand at him. A bolt of lightning hit the sword and made the creature roar in pain as the lightning raced through its body. The rest of the creatures stopped and stared as their companion hit the forest floor. She turned, and pulled her hand to deliver another bolt of lightning. The creatures stepped back before charging at her again. This time, several lightning bolts hit around the forest, each taking out a creature. This stopped the creatures this time. They stepped back and then ran into the woods.

Kendra looked around her, before continuing on to her original destination. But she stopped when the sound of a horn rang through the woods. Once, twice, three times.

'Boromir's horn.'


	34. Losing Another

Kendra took off running towards the horn. Aragorn could handle himself. There was an urgency behind the horn blasts. As she ran, she saw how the creatures became more and more. This was definitely where all the action was. The clanging of metal on metal revealed to her where Boromir was. She was coming down the hill when the sound of air being sliced caught her attention. She was jerked off her feet as her coat was pinned to the tree behind her.

She rolled over to see the arrow that was holding her coat to the tree. When she fell, she had wrenched the coat so tight against her that it would be hard to remove it. All she could do was try and pull the arrow out. Kendra reached up and saw how thick the arrow was. It was also in the tree truck pretty deep. Her fingers wrapped around it and she pulled. It gave a little, but not enough to make any difference. Kendra looked over her shoulder and saw Boromir stagger up from the ground, three arrows in his chest. This made her turn to the arrow pinning her to the tree. She had to get to him.

Kendra pulled a couple of more times, trying to pull it out. 'I have had enough,' she thought as she let her eyes go silver again. A burst of flame and there was no more arrow. By the time Kendra had stood up, Aragorn was already on the scene, although he looked like he was having problems as well. He was pinned to a tree, a shield around his throat.

Kendra took off towards the battlefield, intent on finding Boromir. She ran, trying not to draw the attention of the creature. She heard flesh meeting flesh but she didn't turn around. She had found Boromir. Kendra knelt down beside his body as he seemed to look at the sky through darkening eyes. The sound of a body hitting the forest floor signaled the end of the battle. She looked up to see Aragorn staggering over, blood flowing freely from his nose. He knelt down beside Boromir.

"The little ones...they took the little ones," Boromir forced out. "Frodo. Where is Frodo?"

"He is safe. I let him go."

"Then you did more than I could. I tried to take the Ring from him."

"It is beyond any of our reaches now."

"Kendra," he said, turning his attention away from Aragorn.

"Yes, Boromir?" Kendra asked, encouraging him to go on.

"I wish I could have told you my feeling before now," he said, stopping for breath. "If this had been under different circumstances, I might have been courting you. I want you to know this, I love you. You are so different from all the other women I know."

"Boromir, save your strength. You do want to go home?" Kendra said.

"I do, but I won't. Kendra, please never change."

He stopped again, looking back to Aragorn who had pulled back slightly while Boromir told Kendra his feelings. Now he moved forward so Boromir wouldn't have to move.

"I would have followed you all the way. My brother, my captain, my king."

Both watched as Boromir breathed his last. He had stayed noble to the very end. Aragorn leaned forward and placed his hands on either side of Boromir's face.

"Rest in peace, son of Gondor," he said before leaning forward to place a kiss on Boromir's brow.

Kendra bowed her head, unable to express her feelings. She wanted to cry. Boromir had told her that he loved her. But she had been coming to think of him as a brother. This was the second time that she had lost someone dear to her. Was this going to be her life? Losing everyone near and dear to her.

"They will look for him from the White Tower, but he will never return," she heard Aragorn say.

She looked up and saw tears streaming down his face. More sounds caught her ears and she saw Legolas and Gimli come into the clearing. Silence was all that was in the clearing. No one wanted to break it. The death of their companion was not going to be forgotten.

'I love you. Please never change.'


	35. Becoming a Hunter

They arranged Boromir's body in one of their boats. He had left his shield at the camp so they positioned it at his head. Legolas had carefully removed the three arrows and they had put his best tunic on him, to hide his wounds. Gimli had brought Boromir's sword back and they made him hold it. Boromir looked like he was sleeping as they pushed his funeral boat into the lake. The currents slowly took the boat towards the falls. Kendra and Gimli stood there and watched the boat as it slowly tipped up and went over. A second companion had disappeared from the Fellowship.

Kendra turned in time to watch Legolas pushing their last boat into the water. The third boat was on the other side of the lake, empty of any bodies. The two bodies, Frodo and Sam, were already disappearing into the woods.

"You mean not to follow them?" Legolas asked, a little confused about Aragorn's reaction.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."

"Then we have failed. The Fellowship has failed," Gimli said, walking towards Aragorn.

"Not if we stay true to each other. I will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death."

Kendra looked back at the three. Since she was officially not a part of the Fellowship, she could go after Frodo and Sam. Or, she could go after Merry and Pippin with Aragorn and the rest. One final choice would be to go forwards to Minas Tirith, Boromir's home, to relay the news of his death to his brother, Faramir. She couldn't go back to Lothlorien, no matter how much she wanted to now.

"Kendra," she heard Aragorn ask.

"Yes, Aragorn?"

"Will you come with us? It is your decision, you don't have to come with us."

"I will come. I don't really know where else to go."

"Good, lass. I was afraid we might have to forcefully drag you with us."

"Like you could drag me, Master Dwarf."

"Let's go hunt some Orc," Aragorn said, breaking up the conversation.

He took off into the woods, swiftly followed by Kendra. She soon heard the footsteps of Gimli and was soon passed by Legolas. This was going to be an interesting hunt.


End file.
